Toy knitting device

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a toy knitting device and a knitting kit including the toy knitting device and a breakaway clasp. The knitting device comprises a knitting body having an interior chamber in which a needle holder is rotatably coupled to the knitting device. The needle holder comprises a plurality of needles configured to move up and down the side of the needle holder as the needle holder rotates to grasp a knitting strand being fed into the interior chamber of the knitting body. The needle holder rotates by a plurality of engaged gears coupled to either an automated motor for automated rotation or a hand knob or crank for manual rotation. The needle holder comprises a center aperture through which the knitted product that is configured to receive an embellishment to be embedded within a hollow interior of the knitted product is inserted.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An automated knitting device comprising:
 a knitting body having an interior chamber, the knitting body comprising: 
 a needle holder rotatably mounted in the interior chamber of the knitting body, the needle holder having a center aperture and is configured to rotate around the center aperture; and 
 a plurality of needles slidably coupled to the needle holder, wherein the plurality of needles are coaxially aligned with the interior chamber of the knitting body and are configured to grasp a knitting thread being fed into the knitting body to create a knitted product that is discharged through the center aperture of the needle holder and out of the interior chamber of the knitting body at a material-exit end of the knitting body; 
 a raised edge extending coaxially along the interior chamber of the knitting body and integrated with the knitting body, the raised edge being contoured to extend above the plurality of needles such that a first portion of the raised edge is a first distance above the plurality of needles and a second portion of the raised edge is a second distance above the plurality of needles, the second distance being different than the first distance; 
 a rotational hand knob for knitting a knitting thread at a user-determined rate; 
 a knitting base having a positioning guide and an arm coupling the knitting body to the knitting base; and 
 a rotation-initiation mechanism on the arm of the knitting device to turn on an automated rotational system, wherein rotation of the needle holder moves the plurality of needles from a lowered position to an extended position, causing the plurality of needles to move along a vertical axis from the lowered position and grasp the knitting thread from the extended position being fed into the knitting body to create a knitted product that is discharged through the center aperture of the needle holder and out of the interior chamber of the knitting body at a material-exit end of the knitting body; 
 wherein the center aperture of the needle holder comprises a diameter configured to accept at least one embellishment to be embedded within the knitted product, wherein an aperture of a knitting-body cover is aligned with the center aperture to permit travel of the at least one embellishment when in a closed position at or approximate to the knitting body, and further wherein the knitting-body cover is configured to accept the raised edge. 
 
     
     
       2. The automated knitting device of  claim 1 , wherein the arm is a curved shape configured to create a first distance between the rotation-initiation mechanism on the arm and a knitted-product stream discharged from the interior chamber of the knitting body at the material-exit end and a second distance between the positioning guide on the knitting base and a first surface of the arm that generally faces away from the knitting body.